Extreme Networks (NASDAQ: EXTR) today announced its new Extreme Academy Live initiative, designed "to help anyone, anywhere looking to join or retrain in the technology industry." The new eight-week training course from Extreme will stream live for free starting December 3, teaching students the fundamentals of networking technology, wireless communication, and the internet.
Extreme Academy Live is accessible to all, giving students the opportunity to receive an industry certification and providing a valuable foundation for an exciting new career. Extreme also announced that colleges and universities around the world, including Barnsley College, The Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Gannon University, and the Santarém School of Management and Technology, as well as IT solution partners Netjer Networks and STEP CG, are now offering the Extreme Academy curriculum for technology-based careers via traditional and virtual training programs. Through these partnerships, Extreme Networks expects to train 50,000 new cloud networking engineers for Advanced Careers in The Expanding Digital Economy.
Per a statement by the company:
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation strategies, driving demand for network administrators, data engineers, and IT managers across industries; job postings on hiring website Indeed for junior enterprise architects have increased 278% since 2019, with other tech careers seeing similar increases in demand. Colleges and universities seeking to give students a head start in high-growth industries like technology must arm them with skill sets that are immediately applicable in the real world.
Extreme Academy is an academic curriculum designed to educate aspiring IT professionals on networking, security, and cloud fundamentals, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Students who complete the courses can earn key accreditations and certifications, including an Extreme Networks Associate-level qualification.
Ed Meyercord, President and CEO, Extreme Networks, commented, "In the IT and networking industry there is a clear and growing demand for skilled professionals. As part of our commitment to narrowing the digital divide, we are widening accessibility to Extreme Academy. This will help fill the demand for networking engineers and IT professionals by making training available to anyone, anywhere with free livestreamed coursework, in-depth instruction, and certification. The rapid growth of this program demonstrates its value, and we look forward to offering more courses and establishing more academies to reach not just students, but current professionals and displaced workers looking for job retraining."
Extreme says it is committed to narrowing the digital divide and has as such partnered with the United Way to help educate and build a stronger workforce for tomorrow.
Chris Preston, Vice President of Corporate Relations, United Way Worldwide, added, "Connectivity is as essential as electricity, but nearly half of the world's population lacks quality internet access. As the world's largest privately funded nonprofit, United Way is proud to work with Extreme Networks to help close the digital divide. Extreme is a valued partner, supporting our efforts to connect underserved communities. And with Extreme Academy Live, they are going even further to make vital job training more accessible to more people."
Extreme Academy Live is geared toward those looking for a stepping stone into the networking industry and is offered at no cost to participants as part of our efforts to bridge this gap. For colleges and universities, Extreme Academy courses are available via virtual classrooms, a necessity as many schools are currently relying on remote instruction.
Extreme Academy's flexible lesson plans can be integrated with existing curriculums or taught alongside current studies, and no previous networking experience is required to take Extreme Academy coursework. Partnering schools and businesses receive teaching resources, state-of-the-art lab equipment, and a diverse training portfolio, as well as a new recruitment asset.
Academy Testimonials:
Luis Oliveira, Undergraduate Program Director of Informatics Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal: "We always find new opportunities for our students to learn key skills and competencies so that they are ready to step into the job market. We are proud to now offer the Extreme Academy curriculum as part of our program. This will not only educate our students on IT fundamentals, such as networking, but it will allow them to earn accreditations and certifications in what will be a more competitive talent landscape in the years ahead."
Doug Oathout, Chief of Staff and Director of Marketing and Communications, Gannon University, US: "Our goal is to equip our students with the skills they need to not only get jobs upon graduation, but to become the next generation of leaders. Extreme Academy allows us to provide hands-on, real-world training as well as a chance for our students to earn industry-specific certifications in a high-demand industry. We are proud to be part of this growing program and look forward to continuing to deliver a cutting-edge curriculum to our students."
Filipe Duarte, Senior System Engineer, Santarém Management and Technology School, Portugal: "When we launched the School of Management and Technology in 1985, we made it our mission to always put the development of the individual first. The addition of the Extreme Academy curriculum to our school is, therefore, another important milestone that helps us maintain our strong reputation for excellence and continue our commitment to providing students with the knowledge and qualifications they need to succeed in their future careers. With the demand for IT skills on the rise, we are now able to offer the next generation of talent important technical IT and networking skills through Extreme Academy."
Azhar Iqbal, Director of IT, Barnsley College, UK: "With the past year seeing the acceleration of digital transformation for businesses across the world, we recognize just how important it is to continue providing our students with access to advanced technology training so that they can succeed in the future job market. Having already added an Extreme Academy classroom in our SciTech Centre, we are now actively encouraging our students to look to Extreme's new initiative, Extreme Academy Live, so they can receive additional industry certification to further level up their networking skills."
Carlos Junco, Engineer Director, Netjer Networks, Mexico: "The ability to remotely deliver training and certification opportunities has never been more important than it is today. Without programs like Extreme Academy, the gap between the demand for IT services and the number of skilled workers would only continue to widen. Being part of the effort to close that gap is important to us and we are excited to be a part of Extreme Academy's growth."
Ed Walton, CEO, STEP CG, US: "As an IT services engineering firm and a strategic partner of Extreme, we are committed to bringing immediately applicable and relevant IT training to our region, as well as growing Kentucky's pool of IT talent. Extreme Academy allows us to meet all of those goals and provide program participants with real industry certifications, which are more valuable than ever in today's highly competitive and volatile job market."
For more information and to sign up, visit the Extreme Academy program page.